Are you ready to go beyond pressure-cooked hard-boiled eggs? The next breakfast to try in your Instant Pot or multicooker is eggsen cocotte, French for “in pot” or ramekins more specifically. Traditionally, raw eggs are cracked into a buttered ramekin along with a splash of cream and, optionally, your choice of cheese, veggies, and herbs. The ramekins are then placed in a pot filled with a little bit of water. The lid goes on the pot, and the pot goes on the stovetop to boil the water and steam the contents of the ramekins until the egg whites set. It tastes like a cross between poached eggs and an omelette and is heavenly when scooped and spread onto fresh toast. A multicooker makes this process less than five minutes compared to the traditional method, which can take eight minutes to bring the water to boil and another six to seven minutes for the eggs to steam.

You will need an electric multicooker like Instant Pot or Crock-Pot Express, as pictured, as well as a trivet that will fit in the base of the multicooker’s bowl and three small ceramic ramekins. We sautéed mushrooms and chives for our pressure-cooked eggs in cocotte, but you can also add in sautéed leek or shallot if you have them on hand. Just keep the overall veggie ingredients about the same so everything fits below the lipped rim of the ramekins.

If you have slightly larger ramekins, try cracking in an additional egg to fill it to just below the rim. A bigger vessel may affect your overall cook time, so be patient as you fiddle with what settings yield eggs the way you like them.

Consider this recipe a loose guideline to introduce the technique. The most important thing to remember is the multicooker will set those egg yolks FAST. So, if you love a runny yolk, start with setting it on a low pressure cook for one minute. Medium eggs, as pictured, will take two minutes.

Instant Pot Eggs En Cocotte

(Serves 3)

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon ghee, plus more for greasing
  • 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
  • salt
  • 1 tablespoon chives, chopped
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Using the sauté setting of a multicooker, melt ghee, then sauté mushrooms together, until tender, caramelized, and reduced to 3/4 cup. Season with salt to taste.

2. Meanwhile, grease the ramekins. When mushrooms are cooked, divide into ramekins. Top each with a teaspoon of chives, a freshly cracked egg, and a tablespoon of cream.

3. The multicooker pots are nonstick, and so you shouldn’t need to wash them. Simply add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot.

4. Add the trivet, and place the egg-filled ramekins on top. Secure and lock the lid of the multicooker. Pressure cook on low for 1-2 minutes. Quick release and immediately remove the top when the pressure has normalized. Carefully remove the ramekins. They’ll be hot, so use heatproof oven mitts or mason jar lifters (if you have them).

5. Serve with freshly toasted bread, like walnut levain as pictured.

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(Photos via Brittany Griffin / Brit + Co)

Anna Monette Roberts
As Brit + Co's Food Editor, Anna Monette Roberts has an insatiable appetite for developing tasty dishes. When she's not dreaming about her next meal, she's . . . well, probably cooking up her creations. Her favorite foods include chewy chocolate chip cookies, Rosé Champagne, and gooey French cheeses — in no particular order.